"On account of this, Mr. Howe was summoned to appear before the police two days after, and the question was put to him, whether he had uttered such sentiments; to which he at once replied, he had considered it his duty thus to express himself. He was then told that he must either make an apology for what he had expressed, or submit to a prosecution. The law which Mr. Howe was said to have violated is as follows: "Ministers of religion (or worship) who shall pronounce, in the exercise of their ministry, and in a public assembly, a discourse containing a critique or censure upon the government concerning law, a royal ordinance, or any other act of public authority, shall be punished by an imprisonment of from three months to two years.' "His reply on hearing the law read was, that he did not feel at liberty to make any apology, but requested forty-eight hours to be enabled to consult his brethren on the subject. We met together on the evening of that day, and after looking carefully at the subject on all sides, came to the conclusion that brother Howe could not in conscience make an apology, further than express his regret that offence had been taken where it was not intended; and he accordingly addressed to the Head of Police the following note: 666 "Papeete, April 30th, 1851. "SIR,-I have fully thought over the affair for which I was called before you yesterday, and now beg permission to state, that as I was addressing a body of my own countrymen, and Americans, in my own tongue, and, as a Protestant minister, laboured to sustain the Protestant doctrine of the strict observance of the Sabbath-day, independently of national law, and drew my arguments from the sacred Scriptures only; and as I fully believe in my conscience that all I said was true; that, as the statements were made in a Protestant and not in a Catholic country, I should feel it to be my duty to repeat similar sentiments under similar circumstances. I can only express my deep regret that the remarks which I considered it my duty to make, should have been construed into an attempt to bring the Government into contempt, as I had no such "In the evening we were again waited on by the heads of police, when they informed Mr. Howe that the governor was by no means satisfied with Mr. Howe's communication, and that he must either immediately leave the island, or submit to a prosecution. As we had previously consulted Mr. Miller, the British Consul, on the subject, and he had strongly advised Mr. Howe to withdraw, rather than expose himself to the consequences of a prosecution; and as we were of opinion that no good end would be answered by Mr. Howe going to prison, which might not be equally obtained by Mr. Howe submitting to banishment, we recommended his acceding to that alternative. It must be added, that if any of our hearers in the native congregations had felt disposed to prefer similar charges, we were all equally liable to prosecution, as we had felt it our duty to express ourselves strongly on the subject to our several congregations; and indeed, our aged brother, Mr. Davies, had preached from the very same text as that preached from by Mr. Howe. After the matter had been so far arranged, Mr. Howe made a request that he might be allowed to remain until the return of the John Williams, in order to avoid expense to the Society. That request, however, has not been acceded to; but on the contrary he has been informed, that if he be found on Tahiti after the expiration of this month, the case must be proceeded with. So far, therefore, at present, as we can see our way clear, we think it advisable that Mr. Howe should retire to the Leeward, and occupy the house vacated by Mr. Krause until we hear from the Directors on the subject, which we entreat may be by the very earliest opportunity; as, if the Directors think that Mr. Howe had better return and stand his trial, he will be quite prepared to do so. It ought also to have been mentioned, that previous to this difficulty arising, Mr. Howe had received official notice to quit his present house and remove to Papava, according to the requirements of the new law, so that there be but one Missionary to one district, and that he reside in that district. The consequence will be, that no agent of the Society will henceforth be permitted to live in Papeete, so as to exercise his Missionary functions among the natives. "Several of the principal persons specially invited to be present on Sunday the 4th, have sent polite notices that they cannot comply with the invitation; and the church at Papeuriri, through one of the deacons, Fare Ahu, who is also a chief judge, presented a petition to the governor, that the festivities might be postponed until the Monday; their request, however, has not been granted; the day will no doubt be spent in folly and sin, and many, it is to be feared, will have their consciences defiled." Writing again, under date May 8th, Mr. Chisholm states: "On Sabbath last (4th inst.), notwithstanding all remonstrance, the amusements for the day, previously announced, were proceeded with. "The queen stood firm until the evening of the day, when the governor went to her personally, and abused Mr. Howe as the cause of her obstinacy; and then, sad to relate, Mr. Orsmond was sent to complete the evil work. I subjoin an account of the day, as given by an eye-witness; none of us saw anything of it. Mr. Howe was at Papaoa, and Mr. J. Barff and I spent a most delightful Sabbath with the newly ordained pastor and his people at Fauu, none of whom came near Papeete that day, though within three miles. "Sunday (May 4th). Fine weather: a grand salute in honour of the French revolution, at seven, A.M. Prayers were then said, and about noon, prizes were placed in the roundabouts, and so placed as to be reached on either side by a man sitting astride the machine, and balancing himself on it; these prizes consisted of shirts, calicos, fowls, and tobacco. The next amusement was climbing a greasy pole with prizes at the top. Madame Bonard, with the Sisters of Charity, and all the children under their care, were spectators. About four, P.M., the native dancers from the different districts marched in rows to pay their respects to the governor, by making a formal salute in their dance, according to the heathen practice. The dancing was kept up by them, excited by drink, until eight o'clock. The queen's two elder boys were in the crowd as spectators, and she herself was led in by Mr. Orsmond, sen., to the governor, who after some little compliment handed her up stairs, and, having put a candle in her hand, instructed her how to let off the fireworks. After the display of fireworks, which lasted an hour, the governor's ball commenced, and a large muster of the native chiefs were in attendance, and French naval and military officers with their families, and some foreign residents. The natives were dressed in their different native costumes for dancing, with leaves and flowers, to correspond with the heathen dance. Very few English and American ladies and gentlemen were present at the ball, but many native chiefs.' "Another very respectable English gentleman who witnessed the scene says, that it was most heart-rending to reflect that, after all that has been done for this people, and the measure of success that had attended the efforts, with what fearful rapidity they were thus hurried back towards heathenism. The amusements provided for the people, even had it not been the Sabbath-day, were, in his opinion, of a most demoralizing tendency: no fewer than five different parties of dancers, men and girls promiscuously, with great drums beating, plentifully furnished with intoxicating drinks, and excited to use the most obscene gestures and language. An American lady, who was present at the ball, informs us, that poor Pomare seemed very disconsolate all the evening, and could not be induced to enter into conversation with any one, but was observed for the most part to be weeping. The evil effects of this desecration of the Lord's-day are already abundantly manifest. The queen's husband has again made shipwreck of faith. The queen's remonstrance, when pressed by the governor to attend the ball, &c., deserves to be recorded. She replied, I cannot go; the Word of God forbids it.' He remarked, 'The French have set apart this day as a day of rejoicing, and it must be kept;' and then charged Mr. Howe as being the cause of her obstinacy; to which she replied, 'You are quite mistaken; it is the command of God that keeps me back; but I have no power to resist your perseverance."" 1 Extract of a letter from the Rev. William Howe, dated Papeete, May 8th, 1851:— "The public letters which will reach you by this mail, will show that both our persons and our tongues are now so restricted that our power of doing good, except by patient waiting and enduring, is at an end in Tahiti. "The confiscation of our property, the confining of us to one district, and now the act of calling me up for warning my hearers against the breach of the Lord's-day, are very significant signs of the position we now occupy. "You will perceive that I had, in the first instance, accepted the alternative of quietly retiring from the island, rather than to expose myself to a certain imprisonment. My mind, however, was in no way satisfied with the arrangement; and when the Sabbath was over, its awful desecration had been such, that I felt it impossible to leave without again testifying my conviction of its fearful iniquity. I named my feelings to the brethren, who at once sympathized with me. The general feeling of the merchants here was, that I had better retire; but there were some of an opposite opinion, especially one gentleman, who is passing through from Port Philip to California, a very respectable man, who advised us to take the second course named in the public letter. We did so; and the result is, that I shall stand the trial. The consul will not stand by me, as he thinks the law condemns me; and, assuredly, the letter of it does, but the spirit of it cannot. My brethren are hearty in it, and I hope the Lord is on our side. "Should the action issue in imprisonment, I may be enabled to remain when the term has expired, if not as a preacher, at least as a private individual, to sell the Bible, and to superintend the press, until I hear from you. I shall not be allowed to live in this house; I shall, therefore, be obliged to hire one. Should I be allowed to resume my ministry at Papava, and can reside there, I will do so. "I have this morning received the summons to attend at the office of the Lieutenant of the G'endarmie, on the 31st of this month, 'to be interrogated on the matter imputed to me.' I have, therefore, three more Sabbaths on which (D.v.) I can preach. "I feel most deeply for the students. They are distressed beyond utterance. Should they, however, be preserved by Divine grace, they will be prepared by what they have learned, at least, to become intelligent members of the churches, if not allowed to do more. The present government arrangement, we fear, will exclude all our students from the office of the ministry, except those who have been appointed. Should I, however, remain after the trial, I will endeavour to continue at Papaos, or here, in hope that this dark cloud will ultimately pass away. I have no doubt you will do your utmost to relieve us from our present position by an appeal to the governments. We can only use the means, and commit our cause to Him who judgeth righteously." ORDINATION OF A NATIVE PASTOR IN TAHITI. THE following extract of a letter from Mr. Chisholm, dated the 2nd of May, affords gratifying evidence that our devoted brethren, in the midst of their heavy trials, have been favoured by some tokens of the Divine faithfulness and love: "The subjects on which I have lately had to address you, have been, and still are, exceedingly disquieting to our minds, and will, no doubt, be equally so to yours; but as our Heavenly Father has graciously given us a token for good, it is right that you should know of it, that you may unite with us in praising his holy name, 'for his mercy endureth for ever.' The people of Fauu, the 6 district which borders on this, being at liberty, under the provisions of the new law,' to separate (ecclesiastically) from this, have done so; and their request not being acceded to by the Government, that Mr. Howe should be their Missionary, they unanimously elected Maheanuu, the senior student under Mr. Howe's care, as their pastor, and presented a request to us that he might be regularly set apart to the work of the ministry amongst them. To this we most readily assented; and as no objection could be urged against it on the part of the Government, we met there on Wednesday morning last, the 30th of April, and I believe the day will be held in everlasting remembrance by many, as certainly no more important work has transpired in this island since the Duff landed her passengers on these shores; unless, indeed, it was when the first Tahitian embraced the truth as it is in Jesus, and yielded himself unto God through him. The order of the services was as follows: :- Arato (John Cuff) opened with praise, reading the Scripture, and prayer; Mr. J. Barff then described a gospel church from 1 Cor. iii. 9: Ye are God's building.' Mose, another student, gave out another hymn, and Mr. Howe then asked the church what their wishes were in regard to Maheanuu; and one 6 of the members replied, that they were unanimous in the choice of him as their pastor. Mr. Howe put the usual questions to the pastor elect, which he answered in a most clear and feeling manner, and Mr. Howe then set him apart with prayer, Rowra, of Mahaena, gave out another hymn, and I then addressed the young pastor from 1 Tim. iv, 16: Take heed unto thyself and unto thy doctrine,' &c. Another student gave out another hymn, and Mr. J. Barff addressed the church on the duties to their pastor, from Deut. i. 38: 'Encourage him.' It was a deeply interesting service, and very few present were unmoved when the young man was stating his experience. Pomare seemed deeply affected and pleased, as were also Tamatoa and Tapoa, the Kings of Raiatea and Borapora, and the Queen of Huahine, all of whom happened to be present on the occasion." KAFFIR WAR. CASE OF THE HOTTENTOTS OF THE KAT RIVER SETTLEMENT. In the hope of enforcing the appeal, on behalf of the innocent sufferers by the Kaffir war, inserted in the MISSIONARY MAGAZINE of last month, the Directors invite the attention of the friends of the Society to some important facts tending to throw light on those disastrous events connected with this once prosperous Settlement, which every friend to Missions, and every loyal subject of the Queen, must unite to deplore. Without disparaging the claims of others, it may be safely affirmed, that from the period of their first location on the Kat River, the settlers have been preeminently distinguished among the tribes of South Africa for their steady attachment to the cause of social order, for their prompt obedience to the summons of the Colonial Government, whenever their services were required to resist the outbreaks of the Kaffirs, and for their signal bravery in the field of conflict. But superadded to the character they had deservedly acquired as good and loyal subjects, the inhabitants of Kat River had, under the vigilant superintendence of their excellent Missionaries, long enjoyed the advantage of Christian instruction; and its fruits had become manifest, in their exemplary attendance on the services of the sanctuary, in their apparently sincere attachment to the cause of the gospel, in the flourishing schools that were in active operation, and in the habits of welldirected industry by which, notwithstanding many drawbacks and difficulties, they strove to maintain themselves and their families. Among these people, on occasion of the late outbreak, some were led, in an evil hour, through the influence of force or flattery, to join the standard of revolt against the Government they had hitherto served with such exemplary fidelity. Their actual numbers have been greatly exaggerated; but, as the mournful result, the innocent, in common with the guilty, have been involved in utter ruin. And while the Missionaries and their families, together with several hundreds of their people, including females and children, the aged and infirm, have been compelled to abandon their homes, now reduced to a wreck, a portion of the colonial press, notorious for its undisguised hostility alike to Missions and to the coloured races, has not scrupled to convert the disastrous events at the Kat River Settlement into an occasion of malignant triumph, and to insinuate the most unfounded, base, and cruel calumnies against the character and conduct of the Missionaries. The Rev. James Read, jun., against whom and his venerable father these attacks have been chiefly levelled, with a view to set the colonial public right in relation to some important facts which may be supposed to have influenced this unhappy defection, and to show that the most energetic measures were actually taken by the Missionaries, in the hope of retaining the people in their allegiance, addressed a series of letters to the Editor of the South African Commercial Advertiser, and which appeared in various numbers of that most respectable and influential journal, during the months of May, June, and July, and which embody a connected history of the entire case. The Directors regret that these valuable communications are much too long and minutely descriptive to be reproduced in detail in the limited space of their periodical; but, for the satisfaction of their friends, they purpose, on the present occasion, to give a brief outline of the most material facts tending to illustrate the case. It must be premised that the Kat River Settlement included the central station, Philipton, the residence of the Revs. Messrs. Read, father and son; Tidmanton (formerly Blinkwater), over which Mr. Arie Van Rooyen, a native evangelist, was ordained pastor in 1849, and thirteen Out-stations. Until within a recent period, there were on the Settlement twelve day-schools, and several infant-schools in operation, with a daily attendance of from seven hundred to one thousand children. ATTESTATIONS TO THE FIDELITY OF THE KAT RIVER HOTTENTOTS. Though sedition and rebellion among the Dutch Boers, and wars and bloodshed among the border-tribes, had been of frequent occurrence, the Hottentots of the Kat River, through the influence of the gospel, and attachment to British rule, have been remarkable for their patience and forbearance under ill-usage, while heretofore they have been the most efficient auxiliaries to the regular troops in the repulsion and subjugation of the Kaffir clans. That such were the sentiments of the authorities with respect to these people, the following documents will serve to attest. On the 17th of December, 1846, Sir P. Maitland, in his reply to an address presented to him by the Field Cornets and inhabitants of the Kat River Settlement, observed: "I thank the Kat River people for their expression of loyal allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen, and for their welcome to myself. It is a pleasure to me to acknowledge their services in arms, and to thank them in the name of the colony which they have assisted to defend." Again, in December, 1847, His Excellency Sir H. Smith, in replying to a congratulary address from these people, on his assumption of the government, made use of the following expressions: "I have received, with great pleasure, the address from Her Majesty's subjects of the Kat River Settlement, in as far as it specifies such attachment and readiness again to serve under me. Well do I remember, and most fully do I appreciate, the gallant, long, and meritorious services of my Kat River comrades 1 |
